Solace
by bevesy
Summary: Ozai banished and married Azula off when she made a shocking mistake by saving her brother in an Agni Kai. Three years later, Ozai comes to the Southern Water Tribe to take his daughter back, even when she is not the same person he once knew.
1. Introduction

_Hi all!_

 **As promised, I can never just leave this incomplete. It was kind of difficult because I had so much expectations for it and just went through a block, but I'm not perfect so I have to finish this the best way I can. I spread out the second chapter to three chapters just to help update more because the length was too much. I spread out the second chapter to make things easier. The following chapter will be updated soon.**

 _Updated_ \- 07/25/2017

* * *

So, to explain again, this is an AU scenario. Azula, Katara, Sokka and Ty-Lee are all in their early to mid-twenties. Kiyi is about fourteen.

Azula still conquered Ba Sing Se. In the AU, she took over more locations. This is one of the reasons why Ozai becomes Phoenix King quickly before she turned eighteen.

After her mother's banishment, Azula felt detached from her military achievements. She unknowingly grew bothered by Zuko's mistreatment because she noticed her father having too much power. Her strange behavior forced her to jump in between Ozai and Zuko after Ozai scars him in the Agni Kai. She regrets this decision when Zuko later ran off with Iroh before Ozai could even banish him and she pays the price.

Since Aang never pops up, Sokka and Katara were forced under a political alliance Ozai set up with most countries after Ozai took Omashu. These countries did not want to experience another attack from the Fire Nation so they accepted the alliance. Hakoda made a difficult decision to enter this alliance even after his wife was murdered because he wanted to protect his family. The alliance is only one on paper, but in reality, it's basically the Fire Nation's stamp on every piece of property and people.

I intend to update until I get this finished. So there will be gaps but I intend to get this all done. And for those wondering about, _The Secret,_ I will also make sure that is done.

 **Note –** _I know Katara discovers her healing powers after going off with Aang, but I think she would still discover it, especially with the Northern Water Tribe's influence on her training. Her interactions with Azula could have helped too._


	2. Prologue

"You look well, Azula."

Azula realized after a decade of not hearing his voice, the man in heavy crimson and gold with a topknot streaked by gray hair did not resemble the one who banished her.

While they sat in a communal igloo with his twenty henchman, forty Southern Water Tribe attendants stood outside, surrounding the igloo while holding spears and axes. Their leader, her husband, stood near the entrance.

She knew deep down that he'd be brooding over her decision to attend this meeting with his father. Chief Hakoda sat by her side, as quiet as the day she met him for the first time. His presence alone calmed her enough to force her hands to stop trembling.

A maid entered with a tray and smiled so brightly Azula feared her eyes would roll out of their sockets, "Spiced tea, your majesty?"

 _Your majesty?_ Azula's gaze narrowed, "No."

The maid blinked, "It's your favorite-"

"I'm fine."

The young girl stepped back. Cold air seeped into the space. Ozai watched Azula the entire time. He glanced at Chief Hakoda, "I wanted to have a word with you alone."

"I prefer having company just as you do," she said. "The last time you wanted to speak with me, you sent General Zhao to my husband and threatened to have him killed if he did not return me."

"I only worried a warlord refused to give me my own daughter-" Ozai said.

"No one holds me against my will."

She can tell she struck a chord, "If an apology is what you need, know I never intended to make you forget who you are."

"I don't need it. You aren't the kind the person to bow down to anyone, Phoenix King. But what I do want to know is why you're here."

He blinked, "I didn't realize a visit to my daughter would be a crime."

Azula watched him place his cup on the silver tray between them, "The last time we saw each other, you sold me off and put me on a hundred year old ship over here to the Southern Water Tribe. You specifically requested I not show up in the Fire Nation ever again. You not only put me in an arranged marriage, but you ordered for the marriage to be consummated, just because you wanted to teach me a lesson."

"I banished both you and your brother, to teach you the ways of the world. But you have done something interesting. After only three years, you've mediated an alliance between the Northern and Southern Tribes. Since our invasion in 94 AG, you have returned many of my soldiers without their vessels..."

"When one tries to physically take you away from your home, you do whatever is necessary to defend yourself."

Azula watched the maid slip out. The Fire Nation soldiers were hidden by the shadows. Candlelight flickered over gleaming armor and weaponry. Ozai took a swig from the porcelain cup. The stupid five year old she'd been had valued the words of a man who drank Firewhiskey in the mornings more than anyone else's.

"I heard you have little waterbenders in your midst. Is that true?"

Being Ozai's daughter taught her a few things, namely, if he had easily plotted her grandfather's death, he could kill anyone, even her. If Ozai killed her and the chief, he'd die along with them.

"The Water Tribe's affairs are none of your business," she shifted, "but if you must know, the Southern Water Tribe invites Northern immigrants often for trade agreements. Naturally, their waterbenders settle here."

Azula felt the chief's body tense. She saw her father's hooded glare, his jaw tight and the aftereffects of alcohol complimenting the dark bags underneath hawk-like golden eyes. This is how she knew that she had failed him, and never gave a damn.

"This is the third time I am asking you to come home. Are you telling me you won't return?"

On the day she left the Fire Nation, her father had asked her if she had anything to say to atone for her sins. She recalled falling on her knees and begging him for forgiveness. But he looked beyond her body and asked the sailors to start the journey.

If she had to die this way, after being forced to marry a man she never imagined she'd live without, then so be it.

"Yes."


	3. Chapter One

"You are banished."

Azula kept her forehead on black marbled floors. Her father's voice belied the calmer one she heard last night. She lifted her head, watching a sturdy silhouetted figure hide behind orange flames lapping the podium.

She laughed for the first time since Zuko fell on his face in the gardens at ten, "Father, I believe you're looking at this the wrong way-"

"You dare call me a fool?"

Azula's smile died, "No I...I don't understand. Y-you told me that you forgive me. I left under the impression that I'd be given a chance to prove my worth to you."

"I do forgive you, but I cannot afford to keep a traitor in this palace. It seems as though your brother has influenced you."

"No, he has not!" Azula scrambled to her feet to walk up. "Father, I made a miscalculation."

"A simple mistake that cost me my reputation, girl."

Four guards stepped from behind black and gold pillars to use their spears to hold her back. When she tried moving forward, they didn't budge. Slender fists clenched, Azula calmly said, "I command you to let me through this instant."

No one did. The guards kept their spears out.

Her father rose.

"You are in no positon to order anyone around anymore," he sneered. "Be lucky, for I am a man of reason. By midmorning you will board the ship to the Southern Water Tribe."

She frowned. "For what?"

Ozai stepped past the walled flames, revealing red and gold embroidered attire. Studded stones gleamed pink under lit torches. He slid across until she smelled dragon spiced cologne. Azula's mind worked hard, like it had never worked before, rushing to decipher the sudden twist of events she faced.

"You have proven that you are your mother's daughter. And I will not allow such blood taint the throne," he said. "You will leave this place you call home. I married you off to the chief's son to lighten your punishment. I don't want to see you step foot in this place again."

* * *

Azula watched warriors stand past the watchtower by the docks to wait for Ozai's fleet to leave. Cold winds blew as the last vessel disappeared in the fog. Something heavy slid up her stomach and knotted in a toe curdling twist.

The communal igloo seemed too empty, though the bright sun shined enough to warm up her sides. Hakoda still had his hands over her shoulders.

Soon, the Southern Water Tribe sprang back to life.

Warriors fell to their knees. Civilians bowed deeply, their children following along. When Azula was young, she wanted the throne, armies and lands, yet she secretly despised any commoner bowing to her each time she breathed.

After arriving in her new home, she finally understood why. The Southern Water Tribe refused to worship her as their queen. They called her a murderer and snake. There were times she felt like burning each of them alive and times when she'd bury herself under furs and force her tears down.

She learned to bow to them first, before they did the same for her.

Hakoda tapped her shoulders before walking around to hug her side. "You fear him, but you did a great job hiding it."

Azula looked up. Hakoda's smile hid his tired eyes. Suddenly, she felt her insides creep up her neck, just like it did on the day she found out her father would be coming by himself to ask her to come home.

"Azula!"

Katara grabbed her before she realized it. Her body almost fell. Arms tightened around her neck as cold cheeks slapped against her own. Katara pulled back, searching her face with the hardened look Azula was used to whenever they trained in the mornings.

"Are you alright?"

"Just fine," Azula murmured. "Absolutely fine."

Katara may be the only person who smelled her sarcasm from a mile away and saw through her in ways Azula first hated. Their first days spent together were, in both of their opinion, absolute agony. Hakoda sometimes had to keep them in separate homes in order to prevent them from tearing their eyes out. Now, they were closer that she had ever been with Mai and Ty-Lee.

Katara held her shoulders and trapped her in place with fierce blue eyes.

"Everything will be fine," she said. "Okay?"

Azula had no choice but to agree.

Finally, she spotted a sinewy figure emerge from the blue clad crowd. She felt like she spent hours, trekking high mountains of the cold wastelands. Her husband tugged her close and slapped his arms around her. She didn't notice the others leaving them. She heard his deep breaths, gently letting him swing her.

* * *

Sokka could not be with her. He had to go to another meeting after her father's visit, and she had a feeling that this would be longer than the last.

Azula let out a deep breath as she took off her clothes in Sokka's smaller igloo. Brown furs pooled beneath her. She gently parted her tunic gently parted with her cold fingers and unclasped the loopies in her hair.

Azula remembered seeing her father again after three years. He looked lean, like a broken hawk huddled in a corner with nothing but his vicious jabs from his beak and loud squawks to protect him.

The mirror she brought along before she left the Fire Nation stood near the bed on top of a table.

She saw her herself in her worn shift, catching the redness in her eyes. She palmed her belly, checking the slight raise on her sides. Sokka didn't need to know now, but he'd find out soon. Her vomiting and nausea assured it.

Someone hollered outside once before others accompanied the sound. By now, guards should switch with the night guards on the watchtower and Sokka would wrap up the meeting. Civilians would laugh and focus on their evening tasks, with healers gossiping about the latest patient and hunters dragging in game. It was as if her father never came in the first place to try to take her back.

She didn't realize the opening parted until a shadow loomed in. Azula waited until the room flowed back into darkness.

"He's going to kill me."

Sokka walked over in a few large teps to tug her in his arms. He smelled a bit of soap, and something misty. Sokka always felt warm even though he wasn't from the Fire Nation.

"No he won't. I won't let him lay a finger on you."

Azula scowled. She pulled back to look the one man who had managed to grate and frustrate her since the moment she met him. "I don't think you understand what I'm saying. You're not stupid, are you?"

"I'm not fighting you this time!" Sokka snapped. "Today was a rough day for both of us and all I'd like to do now is be with you tonight."

Before her father came, they argued till their voices echoed in their room. She tried to leave angry, but he drew her back and held her tight until she calmed down and waited for her father to arrive.

When she met him, she had done a good job tearing down his superior attitude when she knocked him out cold on a hunting trip Hakoda forced them on. In return, Sokka invaded her personal space and made her feel as lowly as a commoner in the slums. Now, he wasn't afraid to hold her hand in the middle of the village.

Azula sighed and let him lean down to kiss her. His soft lips were enough to calm her down before he added another deeper one, accompanied by hands that crept underneath her shift. It'd been weeks since she's been with him, with their days spent performing their separate tasks and heading on to sleep after a hard day The last time they were together, he'd kept her in a cave for hours on a hunting trip.

"No one will take you away from me," he murmured, palming her bare bottom after a hot kiss.

She sighed when he lifted her up to take her towards their bed. Sokka's lips found what they loved best. She bit her lip when he kissed both breasts. She winced at the contact on her nipples, smiling at the quiet apologies he made. He took her neck and pink lips, then slid down in a hot trail in between her legs. Their bodies disappeared into the blue dark, with her legs sliding up over his back.

Azula never laid with anyone before she married Sokka and learned that it drove her crazy having him inside her while his lips teased her jaws and hands caressed her body. She didn't say anything back, but she closed her eyes when he tightened his hold.

Deep down she wanted to believe him, but she only heard her father's advice to her when she'd been seven years old.

 _Never trust anyone._

* * *

He arrived at the Fire Harbor at the royal docks. an entourage of his top generals, political advisors as well as guards and servants waited with the palanquin he would use to get home. Their hungry looks withered when he emerged from his ship alone.

Ozai never spoke when his advisors informed him of the Fire Nation's progress. The likely had happened: coal and steel production was significantly lower than it had been due to immigrant assembly line workers rebelling against their masters. Oil, wheat, barley and rice production began to experience the same fate, with farm workers either running off or killing plantation owners in the Fire Colonies.

The Boiling Rock had around a quarter more prisoners since he'd banished his children, due to the severe influx of riots in the urban districts. Not one such act had happened in the Royal Plaza, but Ozai could smell it coming. He saw it in the quiet looks from his servants, most with eyes like the people who worshipped his daughter.

"How was your journey, my lord?" Zhao asked. "I trust that it went smoothly."

Seeing his daughter all decked in fur after three years numbed him. She had behaved as if she were with a stranger. Her hooded gaze and longer dark mane reminded him of a village girl in Hir'ra who had just told by her mother that she had to marry the Fire prince.

"She looks like her mother," Ozai muttered, watching his top general's smile die down. "The Fire Sages were right with the prophecy. My kingdom will fall when my last born from the line of fire betrays me. That's what you wanted to know, am I right?"

He and Zhao had been together for as long as he could remember. This man before him was not the boy he once knew. He was an idiot who failed seven missions in a row, and was responsible for already wiping out ten percent of Ozai's military force.

"I didn't mean to offend you."

"The Southern Water Tribe looks much bigger. Why do you think that happened?"

"Because of the alliance between the North and South. But they both cannot-"

"What will happen if they form an army larger than the one they have?"

"My lord, they will not beat us."

"I asked my general a question," Ozai said, "Is this the answer you are giving me?"

"Fire is our blood," Zhao said with a laugh. "You cannot expect those savages to defeat the Fire Nation even if your daughter is one of them! I know times are tough but have faith, your majesty!"

"Do you know what Azula would have said?"

Zhao blinked. "No."

"'Kill them off," Ozai answered, "before the sickness spreads.'"

They were close to Royal Plaza's gateway. Through the small curtains outside, Ozai could see his father's statue on the gates of Azulon on the horizon. He could almost hear him cackling down over the kingdom he had built. _You were never meant to rule, my little son. You may as well forget it!_

Iroh immediately occupied his mind. The tea loving gloat followed Zuko and never returned. Ozai knew the fool would eventually betray him and poison the boy's mind too. Iroh just wanted the throne back, and Ozai would be damned if he took it.

"Are you suggesting we kill Azula?"

Ozai clicked his tongue, "I arrived at the Southern Water Tribe in the morning with a warm welcome from the chief and his closest advisors. They were gracious, you see? Enough to guide me to their little ice hut and give my men and I seats. The chief spoke to me about the state of his home, as though we both were equals when we were not.

"I waited half an hour to see my daughter. She came, stunning in those furs and 'loopies', looking every bit like the princess they saw her as. I kissed her forehead and held her close, just like I did when she'd been a little one. Then she told me no, right to my face." The sun outside began to dip. "I walked out with my men while two savages led us out."

Zhao blinked, squirming in his seat as the king spoke. He reminded Ozai of a starving dog on the streets of Fire Fountain City desperate enough to eat from the gutters.

"I saw a well-dressed warrior by the harbor as I walked up. He had a shuriken in his hand, around four feet, dug in the snow. I stopped to take a good look at this man. Quite tall, with funny hair those men wear. Fine young one, good enough to be a soldier of mine. I instantly remembered his face when he'd been a little dirty faced boy, playing with that boomerang of his with his little sister when I came with my father to visit Chief Hakoda to oversee the premises."

The palanquin finally stopped, sinking low unto the Fire Palace's courtyard.

"All those people were gracious," Ozai said. "But he wasn't. He watched me walk from that place to the docks, and kept looking as I left. That's when I realized those people bowed to me because they see me as a fool."

He turned to Zhao.

"Don't kill Azula. She's been brainwashed. That boy I gave her to snatched her from me, and I want you to bring her back...with twenty thousand men."

"Lord Ozai, that's…a bit much," Zhao said. "The Southern Water Tribe's position is delicate. Severing our ties with them could possibly start a rebellion of some sort-"

"You won't die," Ozai murmured. "You will survive, as you always have, General Zhao."

Zhao faltered before deciding to nod. "Yes, my lord."

"Good. Our victory will be grand."

He left the palanquin, not bothering to look back at Zhao's pitiful state. Summer air gushed his face. The palace courtyard looked just as he'd left it. He stopped, spotting a chestnut haired woman at the dragon mouthed entrance.

His fifth wife stood nearby, her hands clasped and face down. A gold headdress stood on a half topknot. Her remaining hair fell down her back. As expected, her robes glimmered under the sunlight. She smiled it didn't quite reach her gray eyes.

Her personal guard stood close by with a feline shaped golden mask, hands behind her back as the guards bowed.

"Take Illah with you this time."


	4. Chapter Two

"There's no compromise! He'll attempt to come after us and we must be prepared."

Bao backed up in the shadows as Hakoda stood to counter an elderly member's argument.

"Sending her away is not the answer," Hakoda announced. "If any of you want that to happen, don't think for one second that the Fire Nation still won't control us the way they do."

"Princess Azula is our leader just as Sokka," Pakku, Kanna's husband, mentioned, "We can't be afraid for our lives at this moment. My gut feeling tells me what Azula revealed. Her father needs the Water Tribes but not her anymore. He has that demon as a daughter."

"And there is talk that he's planning on making her princess," another attendant added.

Bao watched Sokka rub his face. Anyone would be stressed handling twenty of the Northern Water Tribe chieftains and warriors along with Chief Hakoda's ten council members and thirty warriors. Again, Azula couldn't attend the meeting since her work as Katara's assistant kept her around the villages for long hours of the day.

"Illah isn't his true legitimate heir," said another chief who controlled the eastern settlement of the tribe. "He wouldn't kill Princess Azula. Why don't we try to negotiate-"

"She's not going back there!"

The room fell silent. Sokka's voice echoed out. The elderly chief, Anouk, bent his head and looked away. Hakoda's son stood. Bao watched the tall figure sweep a glare over the crowd.

"My wife stays with me," he said, his hand trembling, "I will order for everyone to evacuate the Northern front. I'll take her away-"

"There's no need for that." Hakoda placed his hand over Sokka's shoulder. "We'll fight for her. Azula has done so much for the Water Tribe. It would be a loss if we let her go."

For the most part, Bao saw that Azula and Sokka couldn't see one another during the day because of their busy schedules. People questioned their quiet demeanors, especially when it came to Sokka, who had built a reputation with his charm and boisterous nature. Azula kept to herself, smiling at rare moments.

But like the rare flower in the ice lands, known to wilt under the cold, Bao saw their bond bloom.

"My apologies," Anouk said.

Bao almost thought that his nephew and the princess were just friends. Until he began spotting them alone near the abandoned Fire vessel, far from the village, kissing near a makeshift fire place.

After that, Bao paid close attention to the light touches they shared. The way Sokka kept his hand on the small of his wife's back, Azula reaching over to wipe something off his lips or how Sokka was adamant about Azula being guarded by three warriors when she left to a neighboring village this morning.

This revelation made Bao's recent efforts a bit more difficult.

He looked through the crowd, spotting Koah, whose dark eyes flickered as he walked up towards Bao.

On his way out, he stopped to whisper in Bao's ear, "Three days."

* * *

"Good morning, my love."

Ty-Lee watched her mother walk into her guest bedchambers. Ta-Min looked dolled up in red and gold silk. Ty-Lee had on a thinned white slip. The gold snaked mirror standing on the vanity reflected her bruised body. The king wanted her last night.

When Ty-Lee didn't respond, Ta-Min walked to ivory doors leading into Ty-Lee's eighteen hundred square feet closet, a size just as big as her simple bedchamber.

All gowns tailored by Royal Plaza's finest costumiers covered each crevice, with glittering heels aligning long shelves that stretched over white walls. Ta-Min yanked the garment bag she put there last night, slipping past Ty-Lee to dump it on her soiled four poster bed.

Ta-Min whistled for two maids to enter the chambers. They came with white washcloths and scented oils. Their deep pockets had soap and scrubs, everything Ty-Lee needed to put on a new face and start her day.

"No," Ty-Lee murmured. "I can dress myself."

The maids froze.

"You are the wife of the Phoenix King, Ty-Lee. He rules the entire world. You will have his son, just as the Fire Sages predicted and you will be glad your father gave you to him. Lord Ozai adores you-"

"You don't need to tell me that again," Ty-Lee said. "Now get out."

"How dare you speak to me that way?"

" _Leave."_

In another time when she'd been younger, she wouldn't have said these things. But she's older and cowardly. Born into a family of six girls, she ran away to the circus to escape her home only to find out the world she roamed freely had turned into a cage.

Her mother reluctantly turned. Ty-Lee stared at the stunned maids setting up.

"You can leave too."

Ta-Min opened the double doors but froze at the masked figure in front of her. Ty-Lee didn't react to Illah like everyone else in the palace did.

"Excuse me."

Her mother left with the other maids, careful to step around the personal guard. Once their steps faded, Ty-Lee watched the young girl amble inside.

Illah removed her mask, revealing darker skin, golden eyes and a soft smile.

"Father, just sent me on my first mission," Illah said, walking to sit on the edge of Ty-Lee's bed. "I'm not nervous but I didn't think-"

"You deserve it."

Illah nodded. Ty-Lee's chest tightened. She wanted to pray at that moment, even when she didn't believe in the Phoenix King's Agni and old fire sages.

Sometimes, there came a point where Ty-Lee could make a clear difference between Azula and the girl. Azula had always been cold and calculated about her actions, no matter how vicious they seemed.

Illah was the exact opposite.

* * *

Azula sighed as Sokka pecked the corner of her lips before he kissed her.

She had a long day today, treating two patients along with one who needed an amputation from a nasty bite by a polar bear. The patient unfortunately suffered from an infection in the leg, and Katara needed her to cut it off with a fire blade.

Azula put Sokka's guards to good use holding the man down.

She left the session sweated and tired, satisfied when the man's wife put him to rest with crushed pepper berries. Once she returned home, she jumped into Sokka's arms when she found him alone at the watchtower.

"I missed you today..." he murmured, palming her waist while she sat on his lap. The small tub they sat in stayed warm. "...and your bending too. I had a horrible bath this morning."

She laughed, sharing another kiss with him. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Do you have to keep working with Katara?"

"It's been my only job since I came here," Azula murmured. "I like helping her tend to the ill, even when I don't get to do it much."

"I'm getting jealous."

She smirked. "You don't have the balls to tell your sister that."

"Stop acting as if I'm actually terrified of her!"

"You scream anytime she gets to train with you."

"No I don't!" Sokka scowled. "I yell. Men yell."

Azula laughed, her body trembling in the warm waters. She didn't notice Sokka staring at her in a way that made her quiet down. He took her chin, drawing her face forward for another numbing kiss. She palmed his hardened chest, tracing small scars and a rigged three-lined one that cut diagonally on his chest.

"What? Do I laugh funny?"

Sokka grinned. "No. You sound beautiful."

A bear lion wandered in the ice lands and took refuge in a cave. It was cold, starving and suffering from a slow death. Azula never knew how a creature from places like the Earth kingdom ended up here, but the lion took Sokka by surprise once he entered the cave to hunt a seal. The lion mauled him so badly that it took ten men to take it off him.

She and Katara had worked day and night to heal him, with the other woman closing most of the wounds with three buckets of water while Azula burned off the wounds that still oozed blood. This happened three days after Katara discovered her ability to heal.

"I'll keep you warm tonight, " Azula said.

"Oh really? I've got conditions."

"You're lucky I can stand you enough to mind your conditions."

Their deep breaths filled the hut. Azula moaned when Sokka's hands dipped in the waters in between her legs. She suddenly remembered what she wanted to tell him all week, but couldn't get a chance to. Sokka had left so early in the morning to head out. All she remembered was his quiet whisper and kiss on her cheeks before he disappeared.

"I have something to tell you,"

Sokka pulled back, his blue eyes hazy. "We're not talking about your father."

Azula scoffed. "You spoiled the moment. It wasn't him by the way."

"I'm sorry, I-"

"Shut up, before I boil you in this tub."

Sokka's lips clamped shut. It took everything for her not to laugh out loud at the dumb look on his face. Sokka looked just as terrified as he seemed whenever Katara rightfully practiced her bending on him. Azula leaned down to kiss his nose. "We're having a baby,"

"What?"

Three years spent in the Southern Water Tribe had been the best thing that ever happened to her, but she'd lived and settled with Katara's diagnosis about her being barren for so long, certain she could live with it.

And at a time where it's dangerous for her to have a child, Azula found herself stunned when Katara explained why she fainted during their morning training session two weeks ago and vomited each time she smelled something 'funny' on their job trips.

Her voice trembled as she said, "Sokka, say something."

"I'm thinking."

"What the blazes could you possibly be thinking about?!"

Sokka's lips lifted in a wide grin. "Names."

She let him lean forward to take her lips.

"How about Kya?" she asked.

"Nah, Katara's got dibs on that one."

She scoffed. "Noatak…for a boy."

"Nice, but I got a feeling it's a she."

Azula hummed. Sokka grasped her cheeks.

"I got a better one," he murmured, letting his nose touch hers.

"What would it be?"

"Ursa."

Azula wasn't sure if she still remembered her mother, but she'dc heard more than one that she had typical Hir'ra features. When her mother left the palace, she didn't know that Azula had been awake and felt the kiss on her cheek. Azula awoke the next morning, lost in her mother's fading jasmine scent.

"Hey, come on…" He leaned up to wipe her tears, kissing her forehead before pulling her into a tight hug.

"We'll be okay, I promise."

"I'm trying," she said. "You of all people should know who we're up against." She sniffed, still gazing at him. "I'd do anything to keep this with you. Anything…but I truly am terrified-"

"I know him, but I'm not going to sit down and let him ruin anything, especially after you've just told me you're giving me my first child."

Azula looked away, rolling her eyes the more he tightened his hold, "Look at me."

She did.

"We'll be fine, _babe_ – and yes, that's still your nickname."

She rolled her eyes. "I swear to Agni, Tui and La, I'll burn you alive if you ever call me that in front of your family."

Sokka stole her lips, silencing her as he reverted back to touching her under the waters. The water heated up. When he lifted her hips to enter her slowly, she moaned through the kiss, shuddering when he took her hips and set her against the edge.

The last cold winds dissipated in the hut.

* * *

Ty-Lee kept her hands in her robes, watching the girl just as a mother turtleduck to her ducklings would do. Illah had a private coronation, as Ozai wanted. He sat by her side, whereas Ty-Lee squirmed.

The fire sage took the golden crown from a flamed podium. Illah sat on her knees while the man gave it to three maids, who represented the three prongs on the piece.

"Ozai, firelord to our nation for ten years, Phoenix King forever more. You are father of the great Azulon and Avatar Roku's grandchildren, husband of Ursa and Ty-Lee, conqueror in the Hundred Years War and the Great Battle of Ba Sing Se. We crown this child today in acknowledgement of her right to the throne. She will succeed her new legitimate father, King Ozai, ruler of the world."

Illah wore the crown.

Other sages and politicians repeated the same. Ty-Lee watched Zhao stand in the shadows with his arms folded. She knew what he and the rest of the nation thought.

Ozai took Illah and her father off the streets of Fire Fountain City's auction post. Soon, her father died from an illness in the palace, leaving the child alone. Because of her growing erratic and violent behavior, Ozai threw her into a pit with twenty other training boys. Illah killed three boys before the rest ran off.

She became Ty-Lee's personal guard, then Ozai's favorite accomplice and loyal servant. Now, she was Ozai's heir, the safest one out of the true heirs.

Ozai rose.

"I proclaim you princess of the Fire Nation and lieutenant general of this fleet," he announced. Ty-Lee didn't hear any noises from the crowd. "I trust that you will serve me well, especially on this mission."

Illah bowed, her forehead touching marbled floors. "Yes, my king."

Next, she looked up to Ty-Lee, who smiled in her direction.

"Hail Princess Illah!" the crowd chanted.

Ty-Lee clasped her hands together.

 _Kiyi. Her name is Kiyi._


	5. Chapter Three

Wide black sails fluttered as Azula emerged from the vessel's lower bunkers. Guards' faces flickered all shades of pale, their clouded breaths dissipating in the frigid air while sailors sniggered.

She walked in red and blue fur suit, courtesy of the Fire Nation's poor perception of the savages' fashion. No black and gold armor adorned her body. The ruby loopies in her dark hair glimmered.

"Fit for a tribal bride, don't you think?" were the last kind words she heard from her father.

The Southern Water Tribe's white horizon loomed over. She's done enough screaming and begging. It's all enough. This was her fate. He stepped up by her side just as she announced, "I walk alone when the ship docks."

"We were instructed not to follow your orders. When your father gave you to Chief Hakoda's son, he stripped your title away. You should know that traitors are not fit to command us."

Hours later, she watched her new husband. The young man stood with his poor excuse of an old boomerang in a more accurate costume of the people from the Water Tribe. He looked as unimpressed as she was when Zhao explained the arrangement.

The chief and Zhao spoke in low murmurs.

"Do we need to celebrate?" the chieftain asked. "We apologize. The news of her being here was unexpected. "

"There is no need. Do what you must. You can kill her if you like little wolf," Zhao grinned in her husband's direction. The young man shifted. "From now on, there are no longer Princess Azula or Prince Zuko. Lord Ozai has moved on."

Azula still didn't look up.

"Azula, would you do the honors?" Azula forced her hands to keep still when she bowed in front of the man she would lie with. She can sense Zhao's smirk, "Recite your vows to your beloved."

She watched Zhao walk out of the igloo to the vessel in the dead morning. He waited for the shouts from the sailors and sent sharp demands. She heard winds howling and snows seeping, thinking about the worn out look on Azula's face as he left.

" _Farewell."_

* * *

Ty-Lee sat quietly on the edge of the balcony into the arena. White railings aligned every wall, marked by the black and gold pillars on each edge. The arena below was two hundred feet deep. Ever since she was forced to watch the little girl claw her way out of a battle with fifty children, Ty-Lee has never missed a training session, whether she fought with kiyi or just witnessed the spectacle.

"She has improved," Ozai's voice slid between them. He stood next to her in his royal regalia, turning his gaze unto her side. "I have no one but you to thank for training her."

"Illah is talented. I'm as proud of her as you are."

Ozai nodded. "She has better stamina that any of the children I trained. Zuko wasn't competent, and Azula did have her moments. Illah is superb."

She felt Ozai's gaze still stuck on her just as she started squirming at the sound of Azula's name, "I'm surprised. Your close friend possibly coming home. Are you not happy? "

"Forgive me, my king, but are you even sure Azula would want to come back?"

"She will have no choice but to," he said, reaching out to touch the small of her back. Ty-Lee felt a strange urge to snatch it off. His hands were hot, too hot that she felt like she was burning anytime he ordered her into his chambers. "It's about time she sees how great the Fire Nation is becoming. And she needs to know that even her friend has joined our greatness. I expect you to teach her everything I've taught you. Understood?"

"Yes, King Ozai."

Down, below, The guards were twenty tiny red dots surrounding a black dot. Kiyi looked calm, feet spread evenly apart with hands barely lifted up.

Azula always fought with her hands poised to attack. Kiyi did not like doing so. As Ty-Lee taught her, she gave off the impression that she was unarmed and unfit to attack.

Like a bomb, she surged within the crowd. Short jabs echoed in the halls. Kiyi disarmed three guards in one swipe. She bent to swipe her foot under another one's foot, toppling him over the floor.

Blue fire snaked around the frightened red dots and lit the grand arena.

* * *

Azula felt light headed again, but she took the pepperberries Katara handed her into her satchel. The winds were louder. The civilians hurried into their houses for the upcoming storm.

Katara nudged her lightly as they sat side by side in front of the abandoned fire vessel.

"You're in the zone again," they had just completed one of their last training sessions. Azula was proud of the effortless fire she gushed out, but still missed the lasered offenses she used to make. Still, Azula wouldn't dare think she lost her momentum in her prowess. "So, did you finally tell my idiot of a brother?"

"Of course," Azula murmured with a smile.

"Figures. Had to ask because he's already told Gran-gran"

"Good riddance. The woman's been begging for a child."

Katara laughed, her water jug bouncing against her.

When she found out Katara was a waterbender, it was around three months into her stay at the Southern Water Tribe. She attempted to attack her on their trek to the Eastern neighbouring village.

Katara fought back with an avalanche, and Azula found herself trapped under snow.

Azula apologized on the very spot they were on. Katara did her part by telling Azula that she needed someone to train her, Azula did hers by telling her that her avalanche trick was superb.

Azula rubbed her hands over the makeshift fire she made, watching Katara toast kebab arctic hen. The spices Azula handmade had been slathered all over the meat. She decided early on that if she had to eat Water Tribe, she had to find anything to spice up her food, which involved days spent with Katara like this, experimenting with different fruits and sauces;

"I know you're worried about you dad," Katara murmured. "But I won't tell you everything will be alright. That's your husband's job."

"Thank you for putting me at ease."

Katara smiled before she let it dissipate, "You know he won't let you stay here right?"

"My place is here," Azula answered, glancing at the woman who was more of a sister to her than all the girls combined. "with all of you. I know I'm not apart of you all but-"

"Azula, you'll always be one of us. You're my sister in crime, and now we're stuck together so there's nothing you can do about it. But you of all people should know what your father may do, and you can't expect for us to sit down and let it happen. Everyone respects you, even the ones who still don't want you here."

Katara picked out a kebab and handed it to Azula, who took the first chunk and a bit of sea prune. "I don't think your dad will kill you like you said."

"My father isn't like yours." Azula murmured.

"He legally adopted the servant, but would everyone else agree with his decision? You said the only people who have the right to be heir to the throne were those related to Sozin. It just seems strange for your father to do something like that."

Azula blinked. She hasn't thought about Zuko for a long time. The last time she spoke to her brother, he dressed in a black cloak and snuck into her room, shaking her awake.

"Come with me," he had said.

"He's my father. He won't do anything to me."

"He was my father too," Zuko murmured, holding her shoulders.

That was the last time she saw him.

The sounds of snow crunching forced her gaze up. Sokka waddled in the snow in the heaviest furs and bright smile. Katara shot up and asked, "What took you guys so long?"

Azula spotted Hakoda rushing up ahead of Sokka. Of course he'd know early. Bao, right behind, laughed as the chief rushed over to Azula and grabbed her in the tightest bear hug she's ever been in. Wrinkles deepened at Hakoda's smile when he pulled back. She stopped to try to imagine her father in his position.

"How are you?" he asked in a low murmur.

"Perfect," she said as he pulled her into another hug.

Katara laughed just as Azula felt someone tug her back. Sokka planted a warm kiss on her cheek. "You should be very considerate of your father."

Azula spotted Bao slowing down. She nodded in greeting and he returned it. She was comfortable enough to say that he had been one of the first people to treat her with kindness, even when she was too immersed in her own misery.

"Good afternoon, Bao."

"I was just as surprised as Hakoda about the news," he said, stopping to shake her hand. "Congratulations. I'm sure Sokka's ecstatic."

"Yes, I am, sir!"

Sokka side hugged her and stood straight up proudly. Luckily, she and Katara made some more kebabs for the men to eat. They stayed around the fire, eating and conversing about how their days separately went. Azula was warned about Kanna's preparation for her return to the village. Katara and Hakoda argued about how to throw a feast for her.

Sokka nudged her when she picked out a water jug to drink from. "What?"

His nose began touching hers, before she took his lips. The soft smacks they made went unnoticed by the lit fire.

Meanwhile, she felt eyes burning her sides before she pulled back.

Just as she spotted Bao looking, he turned his head away.

* * *

"Nice weather isn't it?"

Zhao watched the uniformed girl lean over the railing. She just finished a training session with Lo and Li supervising her. The dry old woman also did not like Illah, who they called, a terrible mistake for lord ozai to make. The Fire Nation military's slow descent proved that. He looked back at the seas, "Perfect. Just perfect."

Illah terrified people.

Zhao realized this when she'd been a young dirty faced troublemaker, scaring off the younger servants and vandalizing the palace. She had an uncanny shakiness about her eyes, a bright gold that could spot any liar.

Zhao saw through the bullshit: the armor and sly smile, the laughs and dark circled expressions. He did not see an innocent child or poor lowly servant. He didn't even see Azula in the child as people liked to say. No. He saw a living demon.

"I heard you led Azula to the Southern Water Tribe."

"That is correct. And if you're not careful, I may take you there too."

In another time, he stood by Azula as they sailed out into cold lands. He remembered the bloodless look on the child's face and how he felt justified in throwing her away.

He'd often look in the palace at her portrait, stunned by the woman she became when he was ordered to return. He saw her sit with her dark wavy hair and pink full lips. Her eyes drew him, enough to almost forget what he wanted to say. He could say that it had been a foolish mistake to let Azula go, with or without those Fire Sages with their black magic prophecies.

"Be careful, General Zhao," she said, "You wouldn't want to play with the new child of the Phoenix King."

"What child? You, a lowborn girl from a fucking village out near the colonies?" he asked, "I bet that even with all the people you have killed, you would never be a trueborn."

He felt the sailors tense, but he didn't care at this point. Drowning in the seas to avoid the mission didn't seem like a bad idea either, but Zhao liked his life too much to consider such a thing. Illah still smiled, her long filed nails beating the rails.

"You're absolutely right," she said, "I'm no Princess Azula. I'm the girl from Hir'ra who doesn't need her bending to slash the throats of one hundred men. I'm the slave who was thrown in a pit with fifty training soldiers. I'd been the killer of half of them as their parents watched.

"I'm definitely not the type of girl who'd allow a man to throw me off into the Water Tribe. I didn't have to read text scrolls and go to school to learn firebending. I had to watch people. I will be the girl who will commit the second best thing that has ever happened in history, and you will be there to watch me, General Zhao. Watch carefully from this day forward."

Zhao didn't say anything back. He bowed his head, "My apologies, your majesty."

"None taken."

He snatched his robes and walked away.

* * *

Polar fleece rubbed her skin as she stretched. Azula moved, languidly until she palmed the other side of the furs. She lifted her head.

"Sokka?" she called.

She leaned up, narrowing her vision until she saw the outline of her husband, a dark silhouette in the blue lit room. His frame remained sturdy, will his hair falling around his chin. Sokka sat still, deep in thought, and unaware she awoke until she called his name.

Azula left the furs, her bare body kissing the cool air. She crawled over until her breasts pressed against his back. Sokka felt warm.

She kissed his temple, "I used to think I slept on the best pillows, until I met you."

He chuckled, before she leaned over to kiss the corner of his lips.

"You are never this quiet," she whispered. "Tell me what's going on in your mind?"

Sokka reached up for the hands that embraced him from behind.

"Do you remember what I said to you when we'd been trapped in that cave?" he asked.

"How could I forget?"

Sokka sighed, "I told you…"

"That you'd do anything to keep me, if I'll have you," she answered. "'Name it, I'll do it...just for us to work this out'."

"Well...I sounded desperate."

Azula laughed. Sokka pulled her around until they were chest to chest, nose to nose. She leaned over to kiss him, just like they did in the caves when they'd been younger. Sokka held the back of her head, a wavy mass entangled in his large hand.

Azula slid a hand down over his groin, "Come lie down with me."

Things riddled Sokka's mind. She could feel it, down to her bones. The uncertainty in his gaze despite their silent banter, almost made her worried he'd do something behind her back. Azula leaned back on the furs, pulled larger arms after her and She sighed when Sokka settled in between her legs.

He said something before taking her lips.

Entered, and she held her breath.

"You won't," she whispered back. "I won't leave you."


	6. Chapter Four

"We start preparing the vessels by tonight."

Sokka watched Bao blinked after what seemed to be a long time. As of late, the elder man has kept his lips sealed. Bao was one of the first to welcome Azula to the Southern Water Tribe when no one else wanted her within their premises. It took alot of meditating and communicating to finally bring Sokka on board with the arrangement between the former Fire Princess and himself.

He remembered the night Bao spoke between the two of them after their umpteenth argument. "You both have no choice but to settle this matter between yourselves. Use what little the both of you have to make this work."

"We do not have enough men to prepare for battle, Chief Hakoda," Noatak, a fellow councilman, said. He looked as hesitant as the rest of the council over the protection of his wife and the rest of the tribe. "Remember - we have already sent some to the Earth Kingdom to make a possible negotiation with King Kuei."

"This is all because of my in law's good wit," Hakoda retorted. "Tell me, Noatak. What would you all have advised if it weren't for her."

That shut the elderly man up.

Sokka watched days saunter by like a ticking time bomb. At times, it felt as though he wanted to ship Azula off somewhere far away and handle Ozai on his own. But his wife was too stubborn, more stubborn than his own sister, and had an unsettling silence about her anytime she made it clear that she would refuse.

"Sokka," the young man's head rose to meet Bao's gentle eyes. "Would you like to add something?"

"Of course," he chuckled. "But she won't listen if I suggested it."

"It may be safer for her and the child. Katara and the others can travel along with her to the neighboring villages until we're able to settle this matter." Bao lowered his tone among the long chatter in the hall. "You and I both know that we must think twice of possibly discussing matters with the Phoenix King."

Sokka paused. Cold air gushed forth, but he kept still. "I already told him. Even if she agrees, I'm not letting her go without a fight."

Bao's eyes flickered, but his lips twitched up into a smile.

"You are a brave man."

* * *

"Perfect heartbeat."

Azula sighed in relief, letting her lone arm cover her forehead as the other, touched the stomach Kanna touched. "How is he?"

The old woman grinned. "Very good...and strong, as strong as his lovely mother."

Her in law's cool but fluid movements over the living fish swimming inside her calmed her senses. She had never been so much at peace, yet so much in thought. Today was the first after the last time she would ever go on work trips with Katara to the other villages. She would be six months along soon, and according to Sokka, her belly already curved.

"I'm glad," she smiled as Katara winked. "Am I as right as I said I was?"

"Forgive Sokka and his poor judgement. All men love to have little daughters to love and worship them," Katara said. "But Sokka is going to be as excited as dad would be over this one. Gran-gran's already skipping around."

They watched the elderly woman hum happily over a pot of porridge cooking.

"Your son makes you an official member of the Southern Water Tribe," Katara added. "He would be the legitimate candidate to take over a more powerful nation, thanks to his mother."

Azula kept quiet, absorbing the other woman's words before holding her hands. "You keep thanking me for things I only did for acceptance."

Katara smiled. "You changed our tribe. We can never forget someone like you."

"Neither can I..." Azula tightened her hold over Katara's hands. "...you're the sister I never thought I needed."

"Of course I was. Someone had to check you."

Azula rolled her eyes.

The Southern Water Tribe never needed newspapers to keep tabs on the rising outrage over her refusal to return to the Fire Nation. Azula, being the kind of woman she was, sought her news through meticulous means - she had hundreds of spies, infiltrated in the Fire Nation over a period of eight months. She received daily letters from a messenger, whose sailing skills kept him from encountering any Fire vessel along the coast.

The news steadily worsened. What she feared the most, began to brew. She didn't care if the people saw her as the lowest scum. What she feared the most, were the intensity of their focus on her husband. Her husband was the Wolf who snatched the Phoenix's heir. The Fire Nation blindly accepted the lies her father spewed, that her husband took her against her will when she went on a trip to the Southern Water Tribe and refused to return her home. Her father even went as far as to tell the people that her husband violated her, kept her as a slave in his home and threatened to kill her if she tried to accept her father's request to return home.

Everyone forgot about her banishment, they forgot that it was her father who forced her to face the entire Royal Plaza to publicly disown her.

After Kanna cuddled her with furs and a warm bowl of porridge, she sat quietly by Katara and thought of the rising storm. Katara's attempted to distract her were no match for her wandering mind. Azula knew how to plot and manipulate, it was a talent she never quiet lost even though she learned what true loyalty was. And if she did not hurry soon enough, her father might act before she does.

"Looks like your bubbly bear is here."

Azula rolled her eyes. "You need to be nicer to your brother."

"He needs to be nicer to me!"

"What was that I heard oh fat and lovely little one?" Sokka announced, teasing Katara for her slight weight gain after their coldest winter yet.

"Your belly is almost as big as your wife's." Katara retorted.

"Lies."

After greeting Kanna, sending Katara a sly grin before bending low on his knees to remove his shoes, Sokka finally gave Azula a little wink to which she shook her head at. Even though their bantering eased the air, being Sokka's wife give her access to the subtleties of his mannerisms. Sokka was a jokester and he used it to cover up his worries. Azula spotted them in the dark rings under his eyes and the slouch of his shoulders. Discussing strategies of the current matter surrounding her stay in the council hall was no easy task.

Azula knew she was a target, she knew the people were worried and she could not blame them. She understood them wholeheartedly, but there were far more tribe members who were ready to die for her to stay amongst them. Children were eager to fight early, while elders praised her for her courage and intellect. Her contributions to the community were too valuable for them to ignore, and she was ready to serve the tribe as much as she needed to till her dying days.

Kanna and Katara already left when Sokka planted her kiss near her lips. "How are you?"

"Perfect, now that you're here."

He smiled. "How did the check up go?"

"Fantastic. He's as healthy as a snowbear."

Sokka's eyes flickered, then he stayed still and leaned over to finally kiss her. The cold dissipated. Their lips tangled as sighed melted the pit of her stomach. Her bowl was quickly forgotten, and his warm hands trailed over her sides under the furs. Azula had no clue why she deserved Sokka, and just how she had been lucky enough to be with him, but she would not let him go to anyone else if given that option. Their kiss ended as soon it started, and finally, he settled near her in the warm coven of their covers.

"This changes a few things," he murmured.

"Yes. It does."

"Not going to tell anyone yet. Dad will keep it under wraps."

"A boy makes things a bit more complicated."

Sokka smiled. "A boy with you makes things more complicated..and tedious. I know he will take more after you."

"Are you not disappointed?"

"No. We'll just try again."

She chuckled, melting back into her husband's warm embrace. She murmured three words, smiling when he took her lips again, waving the candlelights out.

* * *

 _I thought the Southern Water Tribe would be a bit dull._

Ty-Lee finished reading Ilah's letter, folding the scroll up and tossing it in the fireplace. The impending arrival of her long time friend put Ty-Lee in a state of panic. There was no question Azula would return, even if they had to drag her back covered in her own blood. Things would work just as Ozai planned, all because the new heir to the throne would be there to take Azula. No other fighter was as capable of Kiyi, and Ty-Lee hated that.

In a short period of time, the Fire vessel sailed dangerously close to the tribe. Kiyi sent word, and was clear in her messages about the environment and the people.

It would take them another week to reach Azula, and till then, Ty-Lee prayed that Azula would be spared.

"Give me a pen," she said. The maid standing near the balcony, fetched one and a tiny scroll. Ty-Lee's patience almost ran thin when the girl did not move fast enough. But she caught herself from shouting. Shouting never did good, especially when it could to resolve her terror over what would happen to the Southern Water Tribe. A horrible and selfish part of her, wished to see Azula again. She wished to take a glimpse of the powerful woman she had become, and ask her of her journeys.

"When will her majesty return back home?" Ty-Lee asked the common girl, who blinked in confusion.

"In the next two weeks, your majesty."

"How long will it take for a letter to reach her?"

The girl blinked. "By raven. A few days."

Should she do it? Ty-Lee fiddled with the pen. Should she warn Azula, as she tried several times to?

 _No._

Ty-Lee placed the scroll back down on her desk. She handed the pen back to the maid, who put it back in its spot on top of her dresser. She returned to combing her loose hair, staring at herself in the mirror. Ty-Lee could remember the first time her mother told her the first time she would be married. The blood leaving her face when her mother flatly said Ozai would wed her, was a moment she would never forget. She had no choice but to say no. In a world where she couldn't roam freely as she wanted to.

Azula may have been banished, but Ty-Lee sat by the sidelines, and wished she had been disposed of as Azula was.

The tabloids could demonize the Wolf however they wanted, but Ty-Lee knew deep in her heart that Azula refused to back to the Fire nation.

What Azula did for the Southern Water Tribe in the short span of two years was a dangerous spin. It was clear to Ozai and the entire Fire Nation that even though Zuko's banishment was inevitable, Azula's was the biggest mistake he ever made. And he paid dearly, with hundreds of vessels missing, soldiers murdered, and thousands of Water benders shipped off to the Earth Kingdom and guarding the South, skillfully trained under the watchful eyes of the Chieftain's son - Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe.

Ty-Lee sighed. "Azula. I'm sorry."

* * *

 **Note** \- Um *sweat smiling face*, hi? _#pleasedontkillme_


	7. Chapter Five

Bao gave his dagger a final swipe.

Cold winds brushed against his hair. The fire flickered in front, near the hundred year old abandoned fire vessel. He did not wait for the visitor to step close to his side. "How is everything?"

"As expected," the elderly Noatak, croaked, sitting up close to Bao on the lone log. "The chief's in law has not suspected you, even though she is a sharp one."

"I am kind to her."

"Of course," Noatak said, studying Bao for a bit more, "...but you have done well, and the Southern Water Tribe will thank you for your brave sacrifice. It is all for the best. Her staying here will complicate things even more-"

"She is having a son."

Noatak grew silent, his lips turned into a scowl, "Where did you hear the news from?"

"Sokka tells me everything."

"They will kill it. Her father will make sure it is done."

"Not if it severs ties with us," Bao murmured, checking the tip of his dagger. It was sharp enough to cut the toughest leather, sharp enough spill blood. "I have spoken to the Phoenix King to tell him the news. He is willing to consider the child's position in our relationship with the Fire Nation. If the child is there, safe with his mother, the Southern Water Tribe could have a political standing as high as the Northern Water Tribe. We will not be seen as lesser than our enemies, our enemies will fear us enough to not attempt to conquer us again."

"How can you be so sure?"

Bao looked up at the old wrinkled fool. "Princess Azula is on our side. Even though we will betray her for the survival of our tribe, I know she would take a dagger for us if necessary. Her innovations will forever be met with gratitude from my end - but unfortunately, she has become a liability to our people, and she knows it."

* * *

Ty-Lee had a terrible sensation. It gnawed the pit of her stomach, and as of late, she would clutch it so tight that she'd feel her nails digging into her silk clad skin. Her maid waited patiently for her to respond to the news she gave Ty-Lee.

The girl's appearance fooled others into thinking she was from the Fire Nation, but her name revealed otherwise. Ty-Lee took the girl in when the girl's mother, a Southern Water Tribe maiden, disowned Yuatak the moment she gave birth to her.

Yuatak's father, roamed the Royal Plaza knowing that Yuatak was the unfortunate result of his decision to rape her mother, and had yet to speak to the girl. Ty-Lee knew who he was, and took every opportunity to bring Yuatak to meetings where he was involved in order to make the filthy fool as uncomfortable as she wanted.

Yuatak proved that not only her mind was sharp, but her ears were sharper, and she informed Ty-Lee every secret once hidden.

Ty-Lee blinked at the eighteen summer old slave.

"Where did you hear this?" she asked, tightening her hold over her stomach. "Are you sure Princess Azula is expecting a boy?"

"I overheard it near the chambers," the girl said. Her blue eyes, her only Water Tribe trait, gleamed. "The strange man talking said the king wants to kill it."

"Not if the king wants to die quickly," Ty-Lee barely caught herself when she spoke.

Yuatak ignored her statement. She was the only person who knew Ty-Lee's allegiance, and was king enough to not speak back. "Your majesty...do you think they want to kill the boy...because he is like me?"

Ty-Lee turned to the open balcony, and the sun rise filtering into her room. Her legs peeking out of the slit of her robe, toasted under the sun's warmth. "Of course they do, Yuatak. But you have to understand that this world is filled with dangerous fools, people like that go very far to do evil."

"Alright."

Ty-Lee folded her arms. The gnaw in her stomach deepened, but she forced it down and looked up to the sun. "Even if they try doing evil, there is a high chance they may not succeed. This child is lucky for one reason: his mother and father are not the easiest people to kill off."

* * *

Sokka could not sleep. He has not been able to since the Phoenix King sent word he wanted Azula back. Sokka remembered reading the letter in front of his father, who advised him to keep silent for a few days before telling Azula.

Azula did not need to be told. She knew the moment he came back from the council meeting that something was wrong.

"Why aren't you sleeping?"

Azula sounded hoarse when rising from sleep. Sokka could feel her heartbeat each time they laid together. It kept him sane, it kept him from staring at the ceiling too much and not at the stars in his dreams. He took his wife's milky hand and kissed her knuckles.

"Go back to sleep," he murmured, his lips touching her ear as his hands palmed her bottom. "Before I take you up on a round two."

"I sleep peacefully when you do," she never moved her head front underneath his nose. She smelled sweet. "Your boy is restless, he won't sleep either."

"You're getting big in the right places," he murmured, squeezing her bottom. "Will I disturb him if I do a round two?"

"Oh no. You're making it easy for him to slide out when it's time...and thank you for letting me know I am as big as a whale," he laughed at her response. Azula shifted until she shared his gaze. "I can barely walk the way I used to."

He kissed her nose, then her lips. "You look gorgeous when you walk like a penguin."

A slight hush slipped inside the igloo. Azula froze, but not before Sokka rose quickly beneath the furs and snatch his dagger by the bed. They waited for the noise to utter out again.

Warmth grew behind him as a blue flame from Azula's hand, lit up the area. No one should be up by this time of the night. There should be no wandering shadows, no one sneaking into their sanctuary...no one attempting to assassinate them.

"Someone is here," Azula murmured.

" _I know."_

An orange light peered inside. Sokka held a hand out. A shadow peered behind their clothed doorway. The figure looked heavily bundled. When Sokka noticed he had no torch, his heart dropped. "It's them-"

"No. Wait." Azula said.

"What for?"

"Just wait…" she murmured, placing her free hand over Sokka's shoulder. "...he looks lost."

The curtains flew aside. The figure hid in the massive bundle of clothing around his body. Sokka could only see his eyes. The intruder paused, as soon as he spotted the blue light behind Sokka's silver dagger at his neck.

"Damn," he muttered, regarding Sokka's and Azula's naked state. "I thought this was a living room."

"Tell us why you're here," Sokka said. "Or I'll slit your throat and feed you to the polar bears in the mountains."

The intruder's golden eyes narrowed. "Tell me why you and my sister are naked and I'll give you an answer."

* * *

" _Here."_

Zuko took the bowl of pepper berry porridge from Azula. He sent Sokka a venomous look, taking the bowl with hands that could have been frozen if it were not for them. Zuko's lean frame worried her.

The boy who begged her to come with him did not resemble the emaciated man in heavy furs and long hair. The fireplace flickered. She sat back and watched her brother drink greedily from the third bowl he took. Not once did Zuko stop to focus on her. He kept giving Sokka a look that could kill one if they stared long enough.

"No mochis?" he asked, finally watching her. She shook her head, stunned by how much he resembled a haggard version of their father. "What type of village is this?"

"The village that kept me safe when our father banished me," she said.

Zuko paused. His eyes flickered and the scowl on his face dwindled. Azula wanted to reach out to hug him but she did not know how. She did not know what to say to him or what to do with him after watching him eat. Zuko put the porridge down and studied her a bit more.

"What?" she asked.

He blinked before returning back to his food. "You look like mother...and sound like her."

" _..oh._ "

"You're expecting," he said with a low murmur. "This makes my mission difficult."

"What mission?"

Azula heard a shift. Sokka gave her a quick nod and stepped outside of the igloo. Katara and the others would have to be informed about her brother's arrival, and she had a lot of questions for him. The Southern Water Tribe was not an easy place to access. The only best route of travel besides traveling alone and risking hunger or being a Phoenix King and having the resources to travel alone, was to reach the Northern Water Tribe first and tip a sailor to head south.

Zuko sent the empty doorway a glare, "To take you out of this hole and off to the Earth Kingdom. I have a good home and Uncle Iroh owns a tea shop. He's waiting for you there. You don't have to be a prisoner to this place any longer, I could save-"

"Wait...you think I'm a prisoner here?" she asked.

Zuko frowned. "You're not? Father banished you here."

"Yes, and I did want to return back home for some time, but they've never held me hostage, and father ordered for my marriage to be consummated." she said.

Zuko's eyes widened. "He ordered for you to sleep with the wolf-"

"My husband," Azula stressed. "If I ran off, father would kill me. The people here even wanted to send me off once and lie that I was dead."

"But the news-"

Azula sighed. "Zuko, father made it illegal for me to stay here only after he tried to ask me to return home. Don't tell me you believe the tabloids back home?"

"What was I supposed to do?" he whispered, before biting his loaf of bread. "I didn't know how you were doing and they sent you here against your will. Did you really think I was going to listen to you when you told me you wouldn't follow me? I was planning."

Azula paused. "Planning for me?"

Zuko gaped as his brows furrowed. "What? Are you crazy, Zula? Of course I'd snatch you off if I had the chance, but this wolf screwed my chances-"

Curtains fluttered. Zuko returned back to gobbling down his porridge. Azula smirked at the knowing look on Sokka's face. Sokka gave her a wink before heading back out, sending Zuko another telling look. Zuko kept eating, sent quick glances back, and went back to eating again. Azula spent the early morning watching him with a tiny smile on her face. Her brother may have changed, but his 'Zuzu' spirit never left him.

 _Still…_

Zuko's visit gave off several warnings. The lies her father spewed now reached the Earth Kingdom, and worst, many other parts of the world.

If the lies were so intense that her brother traveled to the Southern Water Tribe alone, what if her father already sent more fighters than the usual to come after her?

* * *

"Be careful this time, Arrluk," Sokka said to the young boy removing weights from his canoe onto the shores. "We have a new visitor. Check the premises to see if he brought anyone else."

Arrluk was Sokka's most sharpest spy, and quickest to escape if he saw any 'visitors'. Arrluk left the last weight in the canoe. He took a quick look around the premises before stepping up forward to the Chieftain's son.

The skies were an indigo blue, overlapping the sea's deep abyss and snowy caps above the igloos. The watchtowers of the Southern Water Tribe, surrounded the citiscape. No lights but the stars, gave the homeland a fluorescent glow.

"I heard a few things...they aren't too good...tell Chief Pakku to hurry up with Princess Azula's trip to the North."

Sokka frowned. "What about Pakku? Hasn't he scheduled the trip yet?"

"That's the problem. You need to ask him to take the princess out as soon as today."

Sokka paused. The frozen look Arrluk sent him. His skin paled, and he fiddled with the collar of his coat, sending another look around the premises. "The enemy may be closer than you think."

"Who is it?"

"...I was hunting. I came home later than expected. I heard two men speaking by the abandoned vessel and hid...it looks like these two made a deal with the Phoenix King."

Sokka kept still. "What type of deal?"

"The deal we've tried to avoid. One of the men was Noatak, and the other…I didn't get a good look at him. I know his voice...but I'm refusing to believe it is him. This man said that the Phoenix King is willing to keep your child alive, for as long as Princess Azula is returned home."

The winds covered up Arrluk's low whisper, but Sokka heard it. "Who do you think this man is?"

Arrluk fidgeted.

"You saw this man..." Sokka said, his voice lowering into a strange tone when he unsheathed his dagger. "...but I know you are too shocked to believe it is him. I will ask you again. If you say you do not know who he is I will kill you. Give me his name."

"...it is Bao."

Sokka paused. "Is that all?"

The Chief's son took his dagger back into its sheath. The cool breeze did not calm the burn building in his chest. He remembered days where Azula spoke calmly to him about the changes in Bao's demeanor. She never accused him of any wrongdoing, but her mentioning Bao's change sharpened Sokka's dormant senses. He watched Bao from a distance, put on his best charm and joked with him. But all the time he did, Sokka accepted the fact that even though Bao was instrumental in his and Azula's union, he would betray him one day.

The only one who knew Sokka as deeply as no one else, was Azula. Azula read through him since the day they met. She understood his jokes and bright charm that earned him popularity as the next Chieftain in line, masked a sharper character underneath. Sokka's brilliance with engineering, one of the traits Azula used well in redesigning the tribe, held a man who paid close attention to the people he called his allies.

Arrluk frowned. "Yes...I assumed, but my chief, I assumed you trusted him and would be shocked-"

"I trust no one," Sokka murmured. "Check the premises. Be back before the sun rises. I will deal with Bao myself."

"..will you kill him?"

Sokka gave Arrluk a quiet look. He turned, and his cape followed suit. The first particles of snow fluttered over his face. Bao was the least of his worries.

Azula could not stay here any longer.

* * *

Notes - On to the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed and will update soon.


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